Despite being evacuated from their homes, many residents watched as the fire spread to their properties. Due to the row homes being physically connected, it was very easy for the fire to spread from one home to the next. It took until about 11:00pm, or roughly five hours after the fire started, for Commissioner Richmond to declare the blaze under control, but the fire still burned into the morning hours. When the sun rose, residents made their way back to their homes only to find that there was nothing left.
Creator
Mary D'Anella
Source
Clark DeLeon, "A Crime Unpunished and Largely Forgotten"
Police dropped the bomb from a state police helicopter as it flew over the compound. The target was a fortified bunker on the roof, which police planned to enter through once it collapsed. Lt. Frank Powell was ordered to drop the bomb. At about 5:30 pm, after almost ten hours of conflict, the bomb hit the roof, but missed the bunker. As a result, gas tanks that were on the roof caught on fire. Now, city officials faced another difficult decision concerning the quickly spreading fire.
Creator
Frontline/PBS
Source
Democracy Now, "MOVE Bombing At 30: 'Barbaric' 1985 Philadelphia Police Attack Killed 11 & Burned A Neighborhood"
Untitled (Police Watch The Fire From The Rooftops)
Subject
The fire that spread as a result of the bombing
Description
As the fire spread to the entire block, police and fire crews watched it burn. Here, a police officer watches the fire from a nearby rooftop. While a later investigation would reveal that Police Commissioner Gregore Sambor and Fire Commissioner William Richmond agreed to let the bunker burn as a tactic to get MOVE members out of the compound, there are conflicting reports as to why no effort was made to put out the fire once it spread to surrounding homes until the damage was already done. Before the MOVE compound burned entirely, Ramona Africa and nine-year-old Birdie Africa were able to escape and were taken into police custody.
Creator
George Widman
Source
Alex Q. Arbuckle, "May 13, 1985: The Bombing of MOVE"
Untitled (Neighbors Evacuate While Police Move In)
Subject
The confrontation on the morning of May 13, 1985 before the bombing
Description
After talks to resolve the issue peacefully failed, police were given the order to advance on the compound. Commissioner Gregore Sambor addressed MOVE via megaphone: "Attention, MOVE! This is America." After one final attempt to convince the MOVE members to leave the compound peacefully, police moved in to make a forced entry. MOVE opened fire, and police took cover and shot back. As the shooting began, residents of Osage Avenue tried their best to get out of the way. Here, police round the corner, weapons drawn, ready for a fight. An investigation of the police's actions that day revealed that police officers fired about 10,000 rounds during a ninety minute period.
Creator
Peter Morgan
Source
Alex Q. Arbuckle, "May 13, 1985: The Bombing of MOVE"
Untitled (Firefighters Douse The Compound With Water)
Subject
The confrontation on the morning of May 13, before the bombing
Description
As the standoff continued, the fire department tried using water from fire hoses to knock down the walls of the compound or the rooftop bunker. Water poured into the building, but failed to create an opening for police. After this failed, police tried using battering rams to break down the walls, but discovered that MOVE had reinforced all exterior walls. As nightfall approached, Mayor Goode publicly stated that the city would take the compound "by any means necessary". After a hasty planning session, Commissioner Sambor presented a plan to drop an explosive on the roof of the compound with the goal of taking out the rooftop bunker. Goode quickly approved the plan.
Creator
Amy Sancetta
Source
Alex Q. Arbuckle, "May 13, 1985: The Bombing of MOVE"
The fire soon spread to surrounding rowhouses, which quickly spread to cover the entire block. Firefighters were not sent to fight the flames. There are conflicting reports about whether or not Commissioner Sambor or Mayor Goode said to "let the fire burn". In the aftermath, the official word was that there was fear that MOVE members might shoot at firefighters, like they had in the 1978 confrontation. There was also some thought given to using the fire as a tactic. Commissioners Richmond and Sambor later testified that they believed letting the bunker burn would force MOVE members out of the compound and on to the street. Sambor asked Richmond if the fire could be contained if it was allowed to burn. Richmond said he thought so at first, but it soon became clear that the fire was spreading quickly down the block, and no MOVE members immediately came out.
Source
Lindsay Norward, "The Day Philadelphia Bombed Its Own People"
Local news stations showed the siege and the bombing in real time. This image was taken from a WCAU Channel 10 broadcast. After the bomb was dropped, cameras caught the fire spreading from the MOVE compound to surrounding properties. This event stuck in the minds of so many Philadelphians because they could watch it in their homes as it happened.